At the end of a trial that lasted more than a year, a jury announced Tuesday it was unable to decide unanimously whether two men accused of leading a violent drug crew should receive the death penalty.

Jorge Rojas Lopez and Juan Francisco Estrada Gonzalez, who prosecutors said were bosses Nos. 1 and 2 of a gang called Los Palillos, were convicted in January of several counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping for ransom and other charges.

The jury heard additional testimony in the trial’s second, or penalty, phase, in which they were asked to determine whether each man should be executed for his crimes or sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole. Both men are already serving life without parole on a previous kidnapping case. After deliberating about three and half hours last week and a little more than a day this week, the panel told Judge David Rubin it was hopelessly deadlocked.

Rubin questioned each of juror Tuesday morning before declaring a mistrial. He then scheduled a hearing for next week, at which the attorneys are expected to discuss how the case should proceed.

The District Attorney’s Office will have to decide whether it will retry the penalty phase, which lead prosecutor Mark Amador said Tuesday would be a much shorter endeavor. Prosecutors also have to decide how to handle five murder charges against Rojas, for which the jury was unable to reach verdicts.

Rojas and Estrada, both 34, smiled when they learned about the mistrial, hugging and patting the backs of their lawyers, who had asked jurors to spare their lives.

Al Arena, one of Estrada’s attorneys, said that while he would have preferred a verdict of life, he’s satisfied some jurors believed Estrada can still be a positive influence on his four children’s lives.

“He has resigned to the fact that he is serving life without parole and that his role to his family be a limited (one), but nevertheless a role,” Arena said.

Tuesday marked the start of the 15th month the case had been underway, including two months of jury selection, making it the longest criminal trial in San Diego County history.

It was the latest in a string of trials involving the Los Palillos gang, whose name is Spanish for “the toothpicks.”

Before dismissing the panel, Rubin thanked the jurors for their service, calling it “unprecedented” and adding that their work on the case is known throughout the state.

“The twelve of you have come in here day in and day out into a crumbling building...,” he said. “You’ve come in here and not complained once. What you have done is simply extraordinary.”

The jurors did not speak to reporters after being dismissed.

Amador said outside the courtroom that prosecutors were satisfied with the jury’s verdicts in the guilt phase: Four murder charges for Rojas and six for Estrada, and such special-circumstance allegations as murder during a robbery, during a kidnapping and with infliction of torture.